What happens to individuals who are killed or seriously injured by drunk drivers, reckless drivers, or other dangerous behaviors?
Nationally, hundreds of thousands of people are injured each year in preventable accidents. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis reports that over 41,000 people were killed in car accidents in 2007. In Arizona, there were over 1,000 fatal crashes in 2007. These figures do not take into account the far greater number of innocent people hurt by drunk drivers or negligent drivers, the more than 1 million injuries caused by dog bites each year accorded to the Center for Disease Control, or the thousands of construction workers who suffer injuries each year due to construction site violations according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics.
In spite of these overwhelming statistics, the general public's perception of a "litigation crisis" has allowed the insurance industry to take advantage of the injured. Injury victims do not know the laws, and most do not even think about the legal system until a significant period of time after the tragic accident as they are focusing on getting better or going through the healing process of losing a loved one. Meanwhile, during these early months, the injured individual in many cases is missing deadlines that will steal away their rights as many of the laws that have been created favor the at-fault party.
Alexis and Mark Breyer, Arizona personal injury attorneys, wrote a first of its kind book, "The 13 Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your Arizona Injury Case: The Master Guide to Arizona Injury Claims" after repeatedly witnessing victims of an accident being victimized a second time by our system. "We saw a need to educate victims and their families. When honest, hard working Arizonans cannot receive reimbursement for their medical bills or lost time from work, someone needs to step forward and help people realize how the insurance companies and even their own government are denying fair compensation to innocent victims." said attorney and co-author Mark Breyer. According to Alexis Breyer, "It is time that the individuals, companies, corporations, and governments who act recklessly and negligently accept the same personal responsibility and accountability that the average citizen must accept."
Both Alexis and Mark Breyer stated they felt they needed to write this book to finally help bring a level playing field to the people who must seek deserved compensation from corporations, insurance companies, and the government. "From the trucking company that encourages its drivers to drive in excess of the government regulations to the city employee that admits to being at fault for an auto accident yet uses little-known laws to escape responsibility, the time for everyone to accept responsibility for their own actions has finally come. The person responsible for an injury should not be allowed to walk away from their actions without consequence, while the innocent victim is in a hospital bed unable to pay the mortgage and help his family."
The Master Guide is the most valuable tool an injury victim could ask for in the awful event that they are hurt by someone else's negligence. It is comprehensive - a real 'nuts and bolts' look at the legal process from beginning to end. The book is in plain English and discusses the legal process for injury claims; gives tips on dealing with insurance companies; offers insight into how claims are valued; and discusses common questions and legal issues that are often present in injury cases. Most importantly, the book discusses common pitfalls, traps to avoid, how our jury system works, and the laws, that if not known, can devastate an injured individual's case.
The book is published by Word Association Press and is available for $15.95 at Amazon.com. As a public service to citizens in the state of Arizona, a person can order a free copy of the book here.